WASHINGTON – An influential House committee chairman pledged Wednesday to petition the Department of Treasury to issue a special tax-related waiver that would open the way for Orange County’s public employees to opt for a hybrid pension plan for their retirement, an option already available to new employees.

The commitment came as the result of a late-afternoon meeting in the Capitol convened by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, and included Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and representatives from the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the Orange County Employees Association and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The group’s goal was to explain to Camp the benefits of a pension program the county wanted to put in place, but was stalled by a tax treatment question. They intended to ask Camp to help in some way, including supporting a bill that Sanchez had introduced in January to fix the problem legislatively.

Camp said he would not be a co-sponsor of the bill, but instead could lobby Treasury for the waiver, since he speaks with the department regularly as committee chairman.

“First of all, it’s impressive that you see parties come together to try to ensure the long-term solvency of the pension plans for the benefit of their partners,” Camp told the Register in an interview after the meeting. “And I think that’s really commendable; so, I have pledged that I will work with Sanchez to try to work out a solution.”

Sanchez said after the meeting that she couldn’t have asked for more from Camp. She has been down a long road trying to clear the way for the county to offer existing employees a choice of pension plans, a move that could help the county further control, or even lower, pension costs and future liabilities.

Her latest attempt began in January when she introduced a bill that would redefine a clause in the tax code in a way that the plan could have been offered. That bill is supported by the Board of Supervisors, the Orange County Employees Association, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, and Rep. John Campbell, R-Irvine.

The county tried working with the Department of the Treasury for two years, seeking a fix, but turned to a legislative solution after the department did not agree with the county’s approach, according to Sanchez’s office.

Camp would return them to the Treasury path, suggesting they ask the department for a waiver exclusively for Orange County. Camp’s support, Sanchez said, would come in the form of working on the language of the proposal, making personal calls and perhaps signing a letter.

A comment from the Treasury department was not immediately available Wednesday evening.

Specifically, Orange County’s hybrid pension plan allows new employees to choose the current pension formula (2.7 percent of salary for each year worked, beginning at age 55) or a lower pension formula (1.62 percent of salary for each year worked, beginning at age 65) combined with a 401k-type plan, with matching contributions from the county up to 2 percent.

Camp said his main concern is to make sure the promise made to the employees regarding their retirement is carried out and that pension plans are solvent for the long term.

“What they need to do is try to find a way to ensure that their employees can contribute to this new model that they’ve arrived at to get a tax benefit,” Camp said.

Sanchez said she would encourage Camp to make good on his pledge of support early next year.